Reuters
New York, Sept 10: World No.1 Novak Djokovic deciphered the (Gael) Monfils mystery en route to his seventh US Open final here Friday with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory. He will meet Swiss Stan ‘the man’ Wawrinka who overcame 2014 finalist Kei Nishikori 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 in an energy-sapping contest.
Often viewed as more showman than competitor, the 10th-seeded Monfils tested the patience of both Djokovic and the fans with a display of tennis that swung wildly from dynamic to indifferent.
“He’s very entertaining to watch,” said Djokovic. “He’s a very charismatic guy and he had a great tournament. It was a strange match, as it always is when you play Gael, who is a very unpredictable player. He loves to come up with a variety in his game.”
Djokovic had come out on top in all 12 of their previous meetings. Having advanced to the semifinal without dropping a set, Monfils did not wait long to surrender his first as he went 0-5 down in just 16 minutes.
Looking ready to throw in the towel, Monfils flapped at a few shots then sprinkled in a few brilliant returns to leave an increasingly irritated Djokovic off-balance and the crowd scratching their heads.
The Serb, however, would quickly get back into rhythm, clinching the first set and then going on to demolish Monfils in second.
But when trailing 0-2 and a break down in the third set, the impressive Monfils suddenly reappeared and he went on to take the set as Djokovic ripped his shirt and stalked the court.
Monfils’ tactics, while bold, ultimately proved unsuccessful as Djokovic’s skill and familiarity with the Frenchman’s playing style won out.
“I had phases when I was entertained by what he’s doing and phases where I was upset with myself for allowing him to do whatever he does to disturb my game and my rhythm,” stated the Serb.
Wawrinka outslugged Japanese sixth seed Nishikori with some breathtaking hitting. The third-seeded Swiss took a while to get untracked as Nishikori played a near flawless opening set of the semifinal with just two errors.
The Japanese broke Wawrinka to start the second set, but the Swiss started rolling after breaking back in the fourth game and Nishikori, who went five tough sets to upset second seed Andy Murray in a four-hour quarterfinal, began to wither.
Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open winner and 2015 French Open champion, broke Nishikori in the last game of the second, third and fourth sets to reach his first US Open final.
Now Djokovic stands between the Swiss and his third Grand Slam title.
